Some individuals suffer debilitating podiatric conditions which require the fabrication of prescription orthotics by a medical doctor for remedial relief. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a light-cure conformable device and method of making orthotics for use by skilled medical doctors, podiatrists and physical therapists that is fast, easy, effective, and relatively inexpensive relative to existing technologies.
However, many of the problems commonly experienced by the general public with articles of footwear simply result from deficiencies in one or more of the following characteristics: conformance or fit, stability, support, comfort, cushioning and shock absorption. Further, it can be readily understood that these qualities can be interrelated, e.g., the conformance provided by an article of footwear can help to satisfy the additional need or desire to improve cushioning by spacially distributing force applications and reducing shock. Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide in partial or complete combination, improved conformance or fit, stability, support, comfort, cushioning and shock absorption in relation to articles of footwear for use by the general public.
Eversion of the foot is sometimes generally referred to as pronation, and in particular, medial rotation of the calcaneus associated with articulation of the sub-talar joint is known as rearfoot pronation, whereas inversion of the foot is commonly referred to as supination. In accordance with the above discussion, it can be readily understood that an object of the present invention is to provide means for supporting and stabilizing a wearer's foot in an attempt to avoid possibly injurious conditions arising from excessive pronation or supination.
Every individual has unique anatomical features and characteristics. A practical problem is posed by the need or desire to accommodate for these individual differences and provide wearers of articles of footwear with custom fit, stability, support, comfort, and enhanced cushioning, whether in partial or complete combination. Heretofore, there have been a number of attempted solutions to this problem which have enjoyed varied success. Obvious merits aside, some of the deficiencies of the prior art will be briefly addressed.
Footwear orthotics prescribed by a medical doctor are sometimes required in certain cases in order to remedy debilitating podiatric conditions. For some individuals, there is no other practical or prudent alternative that will provide remedial relief. However, even footwear orthotics such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,470,782 taught by Robert L. Zimmerman, Jr. et al. take considerable time for a specialist to fabricate and can be relatively expensive. Moreover, prescription orthotics are not normally required for members of the general public to successfully enjoy the use of articles of footwear.
Pre-formed “generic” products such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,677,766 taught by Charles J. Gudas can accommodate a greater, or lesser number of individuals depending upon the degree to which characteristic norms corresponding to the target population have been incorporated in the design of such products. In particular, foam materials of select shape have been used to partially accommodate for anatomical differences and enhance the conforming properties of articles of footwear. However, as every individual possesses different anatomical features and characteristics, a pre-formed generic product made of foam material will not accommodate every individual to the same degree.
Various thermally formed or heat activated footwear inserts such as U.S. Pat. No. 4,237,626 taught by Dennis N. Brown have been introduced in the United States, and in particular, skate and ski boot manufacturers have enjoyed some commercial success with products of this general type. However, the application of such footwear inserts generally involves the use of a relatively high temperature heating gun or toaster oven, and numerous procedures which must be administered by a retailer. While generally less expensive, faster, and easier to make than prescription orthotics, these methods and devices can expose wearers to high temperatures and require nearly thirty minutes to perform.
Permanently inflated “air bags,” or “diffusion pumping devices” such as those taught by Marion F. Rudy, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,183,156, U.S. Pat. No. 4,219,945, U.S. Pat. No. 4,271,606, U.S. Pat. No. 4,287,250, U.S. Pat. No. 4,340,626, U.S. Pat. No. 4,906,502, U.S. Pat. No. 4,936,029, U.S. Pat. No. 5,042,176, U.S. Pat. No. 5,083,361, U.S. Pat. No. 5,543,194, U.S. Pat. No. 5,686,167, U.S. Pat. No. 5,741,568, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,753,061, all of these patents hereby being incorporated by reference herein, have enjoyed considerable commercial success, and have enhanced the cushioning and shock-absorbing qualities of articles of footwear. Other patents relating to thermoplastic film for use in fluid filled bladders and/or the structure of fluid filled bladders that are believed to be assigned or licensed to Nike, Inc. include, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,817,304, U.S. Pat. No. 5,406,719, U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,706, U.S. Pat. No. 5,626,657, U.S. Pat. No. 5,755,001, U.S. Pat. No. 5,802,739, U.S. Pat. No. 5,832,630, U.S. Pat. No 5,979,078, U.S. Pat. No. 5,993,585, U.S. Pat. No. 6,013,340, U.S. Pat. No. 6,020,055, U.S. Pat. No. 6,082,025, U.S. Pat. No. 6,119,371, U.S. Pat. No. 6,127,026, U.S. Pat. No. 6,258,421, U.S. Pat. No. 6,321,465 B1, WO 01/170060 A2, WO 01/170061 A2, WO 01/170062 A2, WO 01/170063 A2, WO 01/170064 A2, and WO 01/78539 A2. A Gas filled bladder for making a shock absorbing cushion is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 6,161,240 granted to Ing-Jing Huang. Gas filled bladders or other cushioning mediums granted to Martyn Shorten and/or Joseph Skaja include U.S. Pat. No. 5,572,804, U.S. Pat. No. 5,976,451, U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,962, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,098,313. Gas filled bladders or pads taught by Byron Donzis include U.S. Pat. No. 5,235,715, U.S. Pat. No. 4,874,640, U.S. Pat. No. 4,513,449, U.S. Pat. No. 4,486,901, U.S. Pat. No. 4,453,271, U.S. Pat. No. 4,441,211, U.S. Pat. No. 4,370,754, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,217,705. Teachings related to athletic equipment by J. C. Wingo include U.S. Pat. No. 5,036,761, U.S. Pat. No. 5,035,009, U.S. Pat. No. 5,029,341, U.S. Pat. No. 4,985,931, U.S. Pat. No. 4,926,503, and U.S. Pat. No. 4,872,216.
However, the use of relatively high inflation pressures in a permanently inflated “air bag,” that is, a bladder having inner volume including gaseous matter, and the like, generally achieves superior cushioning and shock-absorption at the expense of conformance due to the difficulty of manufacturing “air bags” so as to accommodate complex anatomical shapes, whereas the use of relatively low inflation pressures in an “air bag” characterized by a relatively thin cross-section generally achieves conformance at the expense of cushioning and shock-absorption. Selectively inflatable air bladders, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 4,874,640 taught by Byron A. Donzis, which can be inflated by manually actuating a pumping mechanism or other inflation means, can attain substantial conformance with respect to a portion of a wearer's anatomy. However, the relatively low inflation pressures generally associated with such air bladders can fail to provide optimal cushioning, or stability when such air bladders are subjected to the force applications commonly generated by wearers of athletic footwear during use. Accordingly, in an alternate embodiment of the present invention, a light cure material and a void including at least one gas can be included within the inner volume of a conformable device, thereby enabling an “air bag,” that is, a bladder having inner volume including gaseous matter, to be formed to a desired shape when the light cure material is caused to set and cure.
As taught in U.S. Pat. No. 4,219,945 granted to Rudy, previously incorporated by reference herein, it can sometimes be advantageous to “tune” the mechanical response of a cushioning element in accordance with certain criteria, e.g., in order to influence the magnitude and rate of compression and recovery of the cushioning element when loaded by a wearer during use and thereby render the response of an article of footwear more in harmony with bodily movements: see column 2, lines 1-5, and column 7, lines 47-52. In addition, a biomechanically tuned shoe including a spring element is taught by Thomas McMahon in U.S. Pat. No. 4,342,158. The following United States utility patents granted to Hugh Herr and Rustem Gamow also teach articles of footwear including spring elements: U.S. Pat. No. 5,367,790, granted Nov. 29, 1994, entitled “Shoe and Foot Prosthesis with a Coupled Spring System;” U.S. Pat. No. 5,701,686, granted Dec. 30, 1997, entitled “Shoe and Foot Prosthesis with Bending Beam Spring Structures;” and, U.S. Pat. No. 6,029,374, granted Feb. 29, 2000, entitled “Shoe and Foot Prosthesis with Bending Beam Spring Structures.” Moreover, the applicant also has also filed the following pending utility patent applications regarding an article of footwear including a cushioning system that can be customized by a wearer, as desired: U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/523,341, filed Mar. 10, 2000, entitled “Article of Footwear Having a Spring Element and Selectively Removable Components;” PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US01/07484, filed Mar. 8, 2001, entitled “Article of Footwear Having a Spring Element and Selectively Removable Components;” U.S. patent application Ser. No. 09/573,121, filed May 17, 2000, entitled “Customized Article of Footwear and Method of Conducting Retail and Internet Business;” PCT Patent Application No. PCT/US01/16159, filed May 17, 2001, entitled “Customized Article of Footwear and Method of Conducting Retail and Internet Business;” and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/152,402, filed May 21, 2002, entitled “Customized Article of Footwear and Method of Conducting Retail and Internet Business.” Accordingly, a further object of the present invention can be to assist in the task of providing a “tuned” mechanical response and/or enhanced cushioning and shock-absorbing effects.
There have also been a number of attempts to introduce conformable materials such as flowable or viscous liquids, or flowable solids into articles of footwear in order to accommodate an individual wearer, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 3,237,319 taught by A. W. Hanson, U.S. Pat. No. 3,407,406 to F. D. Werner et. al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,038,762 to Jack C. Swan, Jr., U.S. Pat. No. 4,380,569 to Robert E. Shaw, U.S. Pat. No. 4,977,691 to Lewis P. Orchard, III, and also U.S. Pat. No. 5,592,706, U.S. Pat. No. 5,626,657, and U.S. Pat. No. 6,020,055, to Tony Pearce. These materials generally remain flowable liquids or solids, and when subjected to a force application become moldable in conformance with a portion of a wearer's anatomy. However, such materials and devices normally resume an unformed state upon removal of an article of footwear and are therefore without a “memory” capability. This ability can be viewed as potential benefit, or alternatively, as a liability depending upon the intended object. In addition, such conformable materials can possibly add undesirable weight to an article of footwear when used in substantial quantities.
Further, there have been attempts to introduce conformable materials substantially comprising flowable liquids or solids in articles of footwear which can be caused to form substantially non-flowable solid material when caused to set and cure, e.g., U.S. Pat. No. 2,092,910 taught by C. H. Daniels, U.S. Pat. No. 3,786,580 to Melvin W. Dalebout, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,128,951, 4,272,898, and 4,385,024 to Horace A. Tansill, U.S. Pat. No. 5,002,047 to Timothy C. Sandvig et. al., and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,042,100, and 5,095,570 to Aharon Bar et. al. Some of the prior art has proven deficient as result of the use of unsuitable designs or materials. Moreover, the procedures and methods associated with these attempts have for the most part been relatively complex, time consuming expensive, or otherwise not amenable to mass production and use by the general public. The applicant has been granted other patents relating to conformable devices or insoles, namely, U.S. Pat. No. 4,674,206, U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,101,580, 5,203,793, and 5,632,057, all of these patents hereby being incorporated by reference herein. In particular, the applicant's U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,057 teaches the use of ultraviolet and visible light to cause a light cure material contained in a conformable device, e.g., an insole, to set and cure, thus providing conformance and support to a portion of a wearer's anatomy. The use of corrective devices such as posts or wedges in conjunction with a conformable device for making custom orthotics is also taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,632,057. Further, U.S. Pat. No. 4,512,340 to Carl Buck teaches the making of casts using light cure materials, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,905,376 to Amos Johnson et al. teaches “A Pedicure Prosthesis For The Metatarsal Arch Of The Foot,” both of these patents hereby being incorporated by reference herein. U.S. Pat. No. 4,765,411 to Jerald Tennant teaches an “Ultraviolet-Cured Horse Shoe and Method of Shoeing Hoofed Animals.”
Visible light cure materials consist of one or more monomers or oligomers comprising liquid, or viscous matter which are capable of polymerization and crosslinking to form solid matter when a suitable photoinitiator included therein is excited by light having a particular wavelength, thereby causing at least one chemical reaction, that sometime involves free radicals, which ultimately result in the desired polymerization and crosslinking chemical reaction. Light cure materials for use in the present invention can be made from polymers, copolymers, resins, epoxies, acrylics, plastics, elastomers, natural and synthetic rubbers, e.g., silicone, polyurethane, vinyl polyester, styrene, and the like. Light cure materials are used as optical coatings, and also as encapsulation or insulation means for use in the electronics industry. Further, blue light cure materials are known in the medical dental industry, e.g., FERMIT®, TETRIC®, and HELIOMOLAR RADIOPAQUE®, distributed by Ivoclar Vivadent of 175 Pineview Drive, Amherst, N.Y. 14218. It is also known to use light cure technology in the field of optics as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,597,519, U.S. Pat. No. 5,422,046, and U.S. Pat. No. 5,529,728.
The present invention also relates to the use of various devices, methods, and processes for effecting necessary and sufficient exposure of a conformable device, or any other footwear components including light cure materials, to visible light having a wavelength substantially between 400-780 nanometers in order to cause the light cure materials to set and cure, and thereby provide, whether in partial or complete combination: custom fit, stability, support, comfort, and enhanced cushioning effects. Accordingly, the present invention also teaches a point of purchase display that includes a light table. The point of purchase display can serve to display conformable devices such as insoles, and also other various footwear and apparel items. Moreover, the present invention also teaches including a suitable light source in the floor of a retail store for causing a conformable device to set and cure in functional relation to a wearer's foot and also an article of footwear.